With the increasing popularity of the Internet, it has become more important to require users to register with the websites they use in order for them to obtain information from the website, order goods through the website, store information through the website, etc. In some instances, the owners of the website wish to use the registration information to selectively target promotions or advertisements based on registration information and thus, get a secondary gain in addition to having the registrant or user visit the website or use the services provided through the website. In other instances, the user's registration information is not used for secondary gain, but instead is kept completely confidential and is used only for the purposes of allowing the registrant or user to enter the website and obtain information or goods and services through the website.
User authentication is fundamental to every Internet transaction. Individuals and businesses who wish to engage in trade on-line must authenticate themselves reliably by presenting credentials to establish their identity. Despite this, when doing business on the Internet, potential registrants or users often register with untraceable or false e-mail addresses and phone numbers. This can compromise the intended purpose of the registration, create a breach of security, and constitute fraud on the website owners.